


Always by your side

by roryteller



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Coming Out, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Pride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-12
Updated: 2016-10-12
Packaged: 2018-08-22 00:46:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8266504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roryteller/pseuds/roryteller
Summary: When Kara decides that this year, Supergirl should go to National City Pride, her friends are supportive but a bit worried about the potential fallout. What started as a way for Kara to support the LGBT community also gives her an opportunity to reaffirm her bonds with some of the people she loves.
Established Karolsen with background Luclex. Pansexual!Kara. Ignores 2x01.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been in the works for months, but my frustration with the lazy way the writers handled certain things in 2x01 gave me the impetus to finish it.
> 
> It's probably also appropriate that today is National Coming Out day in the US.

“So... what were you thinking of doing about Pride this year?” said Kara, trying to make it sound casual, even though she'd been thinking about it a lot. She and Alex were relaxing on her couch, midway through a Netflix marathon, picking over the remains of an extra-large cheese pizza.

“Uh... well, I wasn't planning anything. You know I haven't gone in a few years. I guess I'd have to check with Lucy, see if she wants to go. What about you? I can't imagine James would object to you going, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who'd be a jerk about that sort of thing. Wait, you _are_ out to him, right? As pan, I mean.”

“Of course I am. I came out to Winn, too, even though he was kind of weird about it.” Kara grabbed another slice of pizza and took a bite, trying not to fidget. Coming out to James had gone a lot better than coming out to Winn—James had been totally supportive, if a bit surprised, whereas Winn had seemed somewhat uncomfortable, though it hadn't lasted.

Alex noticed anyway. “What's going on? Are things okay with James?”

“Yeah, they're fine, they're totally fine.” _Better than fine, even._ Their relationship was still pretty new—only a couple of months—and Kara sometimes thought she might wake up at any moment and find it had only been a dream—but James was everything she had hoped for, and more.

“Then what's up? Something I should know about?”

“Um. I was thinking of going to Pride. As Supergirl.”

Alex's jaw dropped. “What.”

“Alex...” Kara had a whole speech prepared, if she could keep it together long enough to say it. “I'm- well, Supergirl is all about hope, right? Who needs that more than all the queer kids out there? And I might be with James right now, but that doesn't make me straight, any more than being with Lucy makes you gay.”

“I see your point but... actually, I _am_ gay.”

“You are? I thought you were bi.” That's what Alex had said when she came out to Kara in high school.

“Yeah, all those guys I dated in college? I wasn't really all that into them, as it turns out. Sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but it took me a long time figuring that out myself.”

Kara gave Alex a tight hug, loosening her grip a little when Alex grunted in pain. “Sorry, sorry! It's just really good news!”

“What? Why?” Alex pulled back, frowning.

“Because it means you were never into Maxwell Lord, not even a little.”

Alex snorted and wrinkled her nose. “Ew, Max? Please, that bastard can suck my- well, actually, even if I had one, I would never let him suck it.”

Kara just about choked on her pizza. “Alex, I did not need that mental image.”

“Sorry.” Alex grinned, not looking sorry in the least. “So, what, you want people to know you support gay rights? Or were you planning for Supergirl to come out? Because in the former case it's not such a bad idea, but if it's the latter... Kara, do you have any idea how much ammo that'll give your critics? I mean, you remember what Leslie said about your sexuality, right? And I'm not sure LGBT people will be happy either... not all of us like aliens, and there are already enough weird conspiracy theories about gay people already.”

Kara had considered what her critics would say, and didn't really care about it. But her heart sank as she considered the possibility... no, the likelihood... that some of the people she was trying to help would reject her for being an alien. That was the kind of thing she expected from conservatives, not her own community.

“Hey.” Alex wrapped an arm around Kara's shoulders. “You can still go. I bet if you tell the organizers that Supergirl is going, they'll let you march in the parade or give a speech or something. Just don't come out and it won't be a problem.”

“Hmm.” Kara polished off her slice of pizza in one gulp. “If I do that I'll have to bring CatCo into it, though. Otherwise Cat will kill me, and possibly James as well. I was just thinking of flying over the parade carrying a flag or something, I guess?”

“Well, that would get the point across, I suppose. You should probably talk to James about this. And J'onn. Not Cat, though, she's not impartial. She'll just see it as an opportunity to make this into a media circus and promote her message.”

“That's not fair, Alex. She really cares about me. And about Supergirl.”

“More than she cares about headlines? Or bottom lines?” Alex's eyes on her were piercing, and Kara didn't feel she could lie, even to herself.

“I don't know. I... hope so. But she's not a bad person! Even you have to admit that, after Myriad.”

“Yeah, you've told me, and I believe it. I just don't know that she'll give you good advice when she has such strong reasons to want you to out yourself.”

“J'onn will probably tell me not to do it.”

“Because it's not a good idea. You just recently recovered from your last round of bad press. Do you really need more controversy?”

Kara sighed and stared up at the ceiling. “I hate how hung up humans get about this stuff.”

“Me too. I was _so_ glad when it wasn't a big deal for you, back in high school.”

* * *

 

“Listen, I'll support you whatever you decide, but your sister might be right—I'm not sure coming out is a good idea.” James had his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the desk in his office.

Kara's heart sank. “You too, huh?”

“It's just... I understand why you want to do this, but you're already under a lot of scrutiny as it is. Are you sure you want to add to that?”

“If there's any chance it'll make things easier for kids trying to figure themselves out... then yes. Kryptonians don't think about sexuality the same way humans do, but I saw how hard it was for Alex.”

“Well, I can't argue with that, Supergirl.” He softened it with one of his trademark grins. “You know I worry about you, but I won't stand in the way of something this important to you.”

Kara smiled. “Will you cover it? I mean, if I do this and CatCo doesn't have something about it, Cat will flip her lid. But I'm not sure I want to tell her ahead of time.”

James shrugged. “Well, we were going to do a little fluff piece on Pride anyway, so sure. I'll be there.”

“Thanks!” Kara wrapped her arms around him in a quick hug, listening to his heartbeat for a moment. “It means a lot to have your support.”

His smile, when she looked up, was soft, warm, the one that had made her fall for him. “You always will, Kara.”

* * *

 

By the time Kara talked to J'onn about it, her mind was made up. So she walked up to him with her best Supergirl swagger and said, “I'm going to National City Pride. As Supergirl.”

“Alex told me about your idea. Have you told the organizers yet?”

“No, but there's still a week to get in applications for the parade.” Kara was the best (former) executive assistant in National City, so of course she'd checked.

J'onn raised an eyebrow. “If you just apply online and sign it 'Supergirl', do you really think they'll believe it's you?”

_Uh._ “You might be right. So, what, you think I should apply in person?”

“Or at least be ready to visit them to prove who you are.”

Kara frowned. “Somehow I thought you were going to tell me not to do this.”

“Well, clearly your mind's made up. And I don't think showing your support is such a bad thing. But coming out is risky, you know that.”

“I know,” said Kara. “And I'm sick of it.”

“Well, it's your choice, just as long as it doesn't affect the work you do with the DEO.”

“Why would it?”

* * *

 

Winn was almost _too_ excited when she told him. Which was a welcome change from his initial awkwardness, even if it did make her feel a bit awkward.

“Do you want a rainbow cape? I could totally make you a rainbow cape!”

“Winn...”

“Come on, it would look really cool.”

“It would look really silly. I appreciate the offer, but I don't need your help. I'm just telling you so you don't find out by reading about it in the paper.”

“Oh.” He deflated a little. “Are you sure?”

“I'm sure. But thanks.” She thought for a moment. “Hey, do you know where I could get a really big flag? Preferably on a pole?”

“I can make you one,” said Winn, recovering from his initial disappointment. “How big do you want it?”

Kara grinned back at him. It was nice to have someone excited about it, and it reminded her why they were friends, why he was the first person she told about her secret identity. It was good, getting back to that, after all they'd been through. “Well...”

* * *

 

It was finally the morning of the parade. Kara stood on a rooftop near the parade route, dressed in her full Supergirl costume, with a rolled-up flag resting against one shoulder. In five minutes she needed to join the rest of the parade. She was near the front, behind the dykes on bikes contingent, the National City Fire Department and a beer company float and in front of a gay and lesbian parents' group. She could see the empty spot waiting for her below.

She was nervous, just a little. Even when she'd gone to Pride (which wasn't every year—on bad days the noise was just too much) she'd never marched in it, just stood on the sidelines and let people assume what they wanted about her, though sometimes she'd been brave enough to wear an armband or something else in Pride colors.

Marching seemed like much more of a statement, even though she'd finally agreed not to formally come out.

With a deep breath, she took off. In the air, she unfurled the flag and flew slowly over the waiting crowd before landing softly in her assigned space. She was conscious of everyone's eyes on her and suddenly wished that she had found people to go with her. It wasn't often that she just stood still as Supergirl, without a threat to face, and all this attention was making her a bit nervous.

For a moment, the crowd was silent, except for the clicks of a few cameras. Then a small voice piped up from somewhere behind her.

“Miss Supergirl?” It was a child's voice.

Turning around, she saw a little black girl with puffy pigtails, who couldn't have been more than five years old, staring at her with big round eyes while clinging to one of her mothers' hands.

“Yes?” She walked closer and bent forward to look the girl in the eye.

“Your flag's hanging on the ground.”

Looking back over her shoulder, Kara saw that the girl was right. “Thanks.” She hefted it a little higher, and floated a few inches off the ground for good measure. “Is that better?”

The girl nodded mutely.

The other kids in the group behind her seemed to take that as permission to approach her, and soon she was surrounded by kids asking her all kinds of questions—what's it like to fly, what's the scariest monster you've ever had to fight, what did you eat on your planet, that sort of thing. Around them, it was as though all the adults let out a collective sigh of relief, the ice broken.

After a while, Kara looked over the heads of the kids around her and saw that there was a little boy standing some distance away, half-hidden behind a man who might have been his father, staring at her.

“Hey! Join us, if you want!”

He shook his head, then yanked on his father's sleeve and whispered something in his ear.

The father, an Asian-American man about Kara's height with a sprinkling of white in his black hair, strode over to the little crowd of kids.

“Supergirl, my son wants to know if you'll sign his cast.”

“His cast?” Kara took another look at the boy. One forearm was, in fact, covered with a white cast on which she could already see several names. “Sure, if you have a pen. Okay, guys, let me through.” That last was directed towards the kids, who parted before her.

Finding a pen proved to be a bit of a challenge, but while the father looked for it, Kara turned to the kid.

“Hey, what's your name?”

“Shun.”

“Nice to meet you, Shun. I hope you don't mind if I don't tell you my name.”

He just nodded.

“How'd you break your arm?”

“Fell out of a tree.”

“Ouch. I broke my arm once.” _Whoops, I probably shouldn't have mentioned that._

His eyes went wide at that. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Even I'm not completely indestructible. But don't tell. It's a secret.” She held out a pinky, and he took it with all the solemnity such a ceremony required.

“Here you go,” said Shun's father, holding out a blue pen.

“Thanks. Hey, could you hold this for a second?” She held out the flag.

“Sure.” Shun's father held the large flag awkwardly, keeping it off the ground as well as he could

“Now, show me where you want me to write.”

Shun held out his arm, pointing to an empty spot.

“I was just going to write 'Supergirl' but I think I have a better idea,” she said, scrawling a slightly messy version of the crest of her house, and below it, much neater, a couple of letters of Kryptonese—a zah for Zor and an eh for El. She left out the ku, for Kara, because that seemed a little too dangerous.

“Wow, what's that?” Shun seemed entranced, not even looking up to ask his question.

“Those are my initials. Well, some of them, in my native language.”

“That's so cool! Thank you!”

Supergirl smiled down at him as she traded the pen for her flag. “No problem.”

“Thank you, Supergirl,” said Shun's father, holding out a hand. “Not just for what you've done for my son, but for being here today. Your support means a lot to all of us.”

_Support?_ She frowned slightly as she took his hand. “You're welcome, but actually-”

She never got to finish her thought, because it was time for the parade to begin, and she had to return to her spot.

Music started up all around her, and the parade was soon under way. She adjusted the flag and lifted up into the air, wanting to make sure everyone knew it was really her—Winn had once showed her photos of some very convincing costumers.

As the parade continued, Kara settled into a routine. When there was a pause, she'd float up into the sky, maybe make a loop in the air. A few times she stopped to shake hands with people, especially kids. One little boy even gave her a cookie—chocolate chip.

About half an hour in, she got a call. It was Lucy's number... Lucy's personal number, she realized as she answered it, recognizing the ringtone. But it might still be business...

“Hey, Kara! Just wanted to tell you we made it to the parade after all.” She could hear the sound of music in the background.

“Good, where are you?” _Maybe I can wave at them or something, as long as I don't make it too obvious._

“Um... in front of the pizzeria between 5th and 6th.”

“What? Lucy, no-” That was Alex, almost drowned out by the noise of the crowd.

“Got it,” said Kara, before hanging up. She hadn't seen James yet, either, but she didn't expect to, necessarily.

5th was another two blocks, and she was pretty sure the pizzeria was on the right. She had a good memory for food. When she gave directions, it often sounded something like, “Take a right when you see the sandwich place with the green awning, and keep going two blocks, it's upstairs from the little taqueria.” Alex thought it was hilarious, but it worked for Kara.

“Is everything okay?” One of the kids, a skinny brunette, maybe around eight, had left her group and come to walk next to Kara, looking up at her as she floated a few inches off the ground.

“Yeah, it's not an emergency, that was just one of my friends.”

“Can I be your friend?”

“Sure, if you want.” Kara landed and held out her hand. “What should I call you?”

The girl took Kara's hand. “Eva.”

“Well, Eva, it's nice to meet you.”

“If there was a problem, would you leave?”

“If they needed my help, yes.” They were crossing 4th Street, and Kara started watching for Alex and Lucy. She could see the pizzeria's sign off to the right, just barely, and she narrowed her eyes to see through the floats in front of them. After a moment she spotted them. “It's been nice talking with you, but your folks probably want to see you and I'm going to go shake hands with some people.”

“Okay.”

Kara's plan was simple: start greeting people at least half a block before reaching Alex and Lucy, so it would seem less like she was singling them out. She could see them out of the corner of her eye, leaning against the barrier at the edge of the sidewalk. Lucy was wearing one of her low-cut tops with a necklace that set off her eyes, while Alex had on her leather jacket, of course, and a faded tie-dye shirt from some summer camp or another.

Alex looked really happy, grinning widely with her arm around Lucy's shoulders as Lucy pressed a kiss to her cheek. Kara felt her heart lift, seeing their smiles. She'd been over the moon when Alex and Lucy finally got together after what seemed like weeks of trying to ignore their mutual crush. Lucy'd become a good friend since starting at the DEO, and happiness looked good on the pair of them.

She shook several people's hands on their side of the road as she approached, feeling more like a politician than a superhero. When she got to Alex and Lucy, she kept a straight face and shook Lucy's hand. Alex didn't offer hers, but she did meet Kara's eyes and gave her a wink that reminded her entirely too much of J'onn. Kara suppressed the bubbling laugh that threatened to escape at that, and went on to the next person.

* * *

 

Kara was sitting at Noonan's, eating her second sticky bun of the morning and staring at the front page of the Tribune without really reading it when James arrived. She jumped to her feet, almost knocking her paper on the floor, and caught it at the last minute.

“Hey! I didn't know you were coming!” she said, putting the paper back down and standing on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.

He smiled. “Well, I wanted tea, and I thought you might be here, so... oh, there's the article. What do you think?”

Kara grimaced and sat down. “I actually haven't made it past the headline yet. But the photo is great!”

“Well, I couldn't have asked for a better subject,” said James, leaning over to squeeze her arm.

“Aww, you two are so sweet I'm getting cavities,” said Alex from behind him. “Mind if I cut in?”

“No, not at all. I actually still need to get that tea I was telling you about. Want to get lunch today, Kara?”

“Sure, if nothing comes up,” said Kara.

“It's a date,” said James.

Alex sat down across from Kara, plunking down a stack of newspapers.

“What's all this?” asked Kara, picking up the top one—the Daily Planet.

“Every major paper I could find that ran a story on Supergirl at Pride, except the Tribune. I figured you'd already have a copy of that one. Looks like I was right.”

Kara flipped through them. The Planet, the Guardian, the Mercury, the Sun... the list went on. “Alex, I had no idea. Are they... I've been too nervous to even read the article in the Tribune.”

“They're good. Well, most of them. The Daily Planet one is particularly sympathetic, which it should be, since Lois wrote it, although it's not her usual kind of story. Looks like the Tribune has the best photos, though.”

“Of course it does.” Kara could see James over by the register, paying for his tea. She gave him a little wave, which he returned, and she found herself grinning back at him.

“Apparently, this is the first time a superhero has participated in Pride. So this is big. I know I wasn't the most supportive, but I'm proud of you.”

Kara blinked away the sudden tears in her eyes. “Wow. Um. Thanks, Alex.”

“Don't mention it.”

* * *

 

“Wow,” said Kara, a few days later, staring at the pile of letters that covered James' desk.

“Wow is right,” said James. “Not that I'm upset or anything, but I agree with Cat when she says Supergirl should get a P.O. box next time.”

“I'm so sorry!” said Kara. “They're taking up all your space! I could... put them in my office until I can take them home?”

“Kara, it's okay. This... this is the impact you're having. Every one of these people... and I know not every letter is going to be positive, but every one of these people has been touched by Supergirl. By you.” He gave a wry smile. “That said, I would really appreciate it if Supergirl could find the time to pick these up later, and maybe leave a forwarding address.”

“Of course.” Then a thought occurred to her. “Hey, I was thinking we could kind of all get together and open some of these? Me, you, Alex, maybe Lucy and Winn, if that's not too awkward? I mean, I couldn't have done this... any of this... without everyone's help.”

“Sure, I'll help. Just tell me when.”

* * *

 

That Friday, everyone met at Kara's apartment, sitting around a pile of letters so huge it not only covered the coffee table, it hid it entirely from view.

“That's, uh, that's going to take more than one evening to get through, said Winn. He was sitting in Kara's most comfortable chair, while each of the couples had a couch, Kara nestled against James' broad chest and Alex with her arm around Lucy's shoulders.

“You're forgetting that I have super-speed,” said Kara.

“If you're going to use your speed, you don't even need our help,” said Alex.

“That's not true!” said Kara. “I couldn't do any of what I do alone. All of you have helped me get where I am today. I wouldn't be Supergirl without you. And besides, you're my friends and my family.”

“So what you're saying is we're here for the moral support,” said Lucy.

“And to help eat the pizza we ordered,” added Alex.

“And the ice cream,” said Winn, who had brought a couple of quarts of different flavors.

“And drink the beer,” said James, hefting his bottle.

Kara rolled her eyes. “You guys!”

“Come on, you know you love us.” James grinned.

“I do,” said Kara, leaning in to kiss him.

“You two are gross,” said Alex, and Kara didn't have to look to know that she was pretending to puke.

“As if you and Lucy aren't just as bad.”

“Oh, they're worse,” said Winn, “speaking as the perpetual third wheel.”

“Winn... you'll find the girl for you, I know you will,” said Kara.

“Or... or maybe the guy. I mean it could still be a girl but, uh,” said Winn, “it, um, it turns out I'm not as straight as I thought I was.”

“That's great, Winn! I mean, it'd be fine either way, but I'm glad you felt you could tell us.”

“Kara... you're my best friend, plus you're a superhero that just marched in Pride. There'd be a problem if I couldn't tell you. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long figuring it out.”

“I know how you feel,” said Alex with a little glance at Lucy.

Lucy kissed her on the cheek, and Alex laced her fingers with Lucy's.

“Well...” said James, “I don't really know what that's like, but kudos on figuring that out. So, does anyone want to toast? To Supergirl?”

Kara felt herself flush, and nudged him in the side before raising her own bottle. “No, no. To friendship.”

“To friendship,” echoed the others, and Kara grinned, feeling like her heart might burst.


End file.
